Iam lotjghridge



w.` LOUGHRIDGE.

`Car Brake.

kNLFH'O-UTHD. CD. NM (DSBDRMES FRCCESS.)

V` Patented Apr. 10,1855.

iTeaZZ may i l `fedicertainnewand useful Improvements in` JApparatusi`for.Applying .the Brakes onl Railroads andI do hereby declare that the followingfisz a full, clear, `and exact descrip` "tion `of *the saii1`e,freference` being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part `of this specification, inwhiche` with my improvementslapplied. Figs?. is a lplan of the mechanism by whichthe brakes ""arethrownl into and outofoperation. Fig

is" i a `front i view off the said l y mechanism. iig. thisyauplan of the` couplinggand the ap#I `:Lplancesi `connected therewith i'or,` the `pur- .pose ofi keeping the `cars 1 apart duringthe application ofthe brakes. i

@Similar lettersf of reference indicate coresponding:` parts in the 1 several gures This invention relates .te the operation `of elbrak'eswof .asingle` carer allthe brakes `lthecar oritrain, acting to causeachain or` "cordytoylce-l wound up onalbarrelfto draw` simultaneouslyr upon all the lbrakes, and con- :"sistsrin" ainechanism: applied to any rdi-` nary chainbrakaforthe purpose ogradu-l ating the power -to` any 1degree of tension `that may be"previouslyhdesired, and then `causing l the said powertdbe` automatically `wdisengaged fromfthe driving axle, the de-3 isired amount of pressure `upon `the brakes; thus f `obtained being* f firmly and .x steadily i `maintained at the pleasure` of the engineer a wasis hereafterfully explained. i 1" ,i To enabletlioseskilled in they art to` make" and usey my iinventionfIj` will proceed to de-` yscribe its*constructionandoperation;` i -A, A,are the brakeswhich are suspended from `or otherwiseiconnectedwith levers B, B, c working onf fulcra a`,"a,*in the trucks` of "thefcarsf The fendslof "these levers are furnished withpulleys` b, "bf: The gbrake. chain c lis connected` at itsfrear lendeither with the* lrindmostbrake lever ori with somefiixed; "part of the` carf truck, but I prefer lto attach ixed fulcrum" @if-and thempoint y, where itl` cnnects `with thegfbrake as by that means I w insure `theactionofthefbrakes of thehind-` 155i` fmost car before ithosef of'any other which is ington `andState of Maryland, have `inventl` Figure luis `a `longitudinalsection of partI @of the `platforms l of alfilocomotive and car fot altrain bythe lforceiofithe momentumof .y it` toi the hindmostbrake lever between its` very desirable g Land .fitlpasse's over `pairs i of.`

. stationed `for the purpose. `tach the rchain barrel tothe locomotive `to y ispdanimage Pateneivo. 12,685; dated April 1o, 1855.

pulleys o, @,hung from the bottom of the car, and under or partly around the pulleys t, b, of the brake levers, the pairs of pul-` Y leys c, c, being so arranged that the chain in `passing from `one `to the other of each pair UNITED srxrrsi PATENT ormon- ,a i wrLnrM LUGHRIDGE;` or vwEvEiefroN,` MARYLAND.

passes oneof the brake lever pulleys b, yas f shown in Fig.` 1. The eii'ect of this vmode `of applyingthe chain tothe levers is similar to wthat of a block and tackle, giving a double purchase` to the brakelevers. i

fThe chain is attached at a suitable distance trolmyzits front endto the barrel D, which is hung in suitable bearings under the locomotive or tender so as to Vbe underthe control of `the engineer or' under the first car tombe within the'control of a person I prefer to atbewithin the control of the engineer. The

bearing for(v the journal at `one endof the chain .barrel is in a fixed hanger ,but the lever is connected by a link f, with the upper lever arm g, on a rock shai'tE, hung: below -the platform, the said shaft carryinga lower lever arm j, which hangs in sucha position as to be struck by the revolution of a pin or crank or driving axle'of 'the locomotive or any other axle of the locomotive ori of a qwiperwlz, attachedto the loose part G, of a lcar. `The other part `Gr, ofthe clutch G, Gr', is attachedto one of the wheels I', I, or y otherwise secured to the axle The chain barrel D, carries at the end which is hung the lever E, `a wheel I, whose periphery "isturned smoo-thlyand the. axle, H, either carriesfa similar wheel J, opposite to itor has the periphery of the hub of one` of the driving wheels turned smooth and true for the purpose, when the wheel I, is brought in contact `with it by the movement of the "lever E, ofigiving motion to thebarrelto the friction of the windt up the chain by two smooth peripheries. a i M The lever E, when thebrakesare not desired tofbe in "operation, is caused by the actionrof a spring i, to `hold the wheel I,

clear of .thewheell and the brakes are all Vkept clear of the lwheels by the weight `of their levers B, B,Awhich` aid the weightof the chain in drawing downl `the slack `of: the i latter. But when it is desired to set the brakes in operation, the engineer or person in charge, throws the clutch Gr, Gr', in gear by a lever K, conveniently arranged for that purpose, and the part Gr, of the clutch commences to rotate with the-axle H. During the first revolution of the axle after the clutch is in gear, the pin h, strikes and throws back the lower lever arm y', of the iockshaft E, and by throwing the upper lever arm g, in the opposite direction acts upon the lever E, and moves it to engage the wheel I, of the chain barrel with the wheel J, of the axle H. As soonv as the lever E, arrives in position for the wheels to engage, its upper part is caught by a spring catch la, attached to a frame L, above the platform of the engine and car. The chain barrel, being set in motion, conimences winding up the chain to actuate the brakes. The clutch G, G, only requires to be in gear during one revolution of the axle H, which will occupy an inconceivable short space of time so that the lever K, may be instantly released and be left free for the clutch to be uncoupled by the action of a spring t, applied to the lever, thouglrno, injury will be done by the clutch remaining in gear, as when the pin it, has thrown back the arm j, it will merely wipe 1t slightly in repassing in its subsequent revolutions.

As soon as the chain is wound up sufficiently to apply the desired amount of force to the brakes, it is necessary to stop the winding of it up, as it is obvious that 1f allowed to continue winding, either the revolution of the axle H, must stop or the chain must break. To accomplish this I at the proper time disengage the wheels I, and J, by releasing the lever E, from the catch 7c, and leave it free to the action of the spring c', but all the force applied to the chain is retained by a pawl Z, acting on a ratchet wheel m, on the chain barrel. The liberation of the lever from the catch 7c, is effected by the following manner. -The catch is at one end of a lever m, working on a fulcrum a, on the frame L. At the opposite end of the lever, there is an inclined projecting piece o, on one side, and on the top of the framing L, there is a longitudinal slider M, working in suitable guides. To the above slider the brake chain after passing over two pulleys g, r, is connected by its front end and when thebarrel is set in motion to wind upthat part C, of the chain which operates the brakes, it also winds up the part C', connecting the slider with the barrel, and draws forward the slider and causes a pin p, which is inserted in a hole in the slider, to pass in contact with the inclined face on the catch lever m, and to move the catch to liberate the lever E. The slider M, contains several holes into either of which the pin p, is placed for the purpose above described. The position of the pin farther forward or backward causes it. to act o n the catch lever m, sooner or later to set free the lever E, to disengage the wheels I and J and thus applies the brakes with a less or greater force. The pin p, is attached to a chain s, secured to the frame L, and, until it is desired to apply the brakes, is not inserted in the slider, M, but the engineer or person in charge of the brakes before throwing the clutch in gear inserts the pin'into such of the holes in the slider as will cause the proper degree of force to be applied to the brakes, which practice will enable him to determine. In case of expected collision the pin should be inserted in the most backward hole so as not to disengage the wheels I, J, till the greatest strain the chain is capable of sustaining with safety has been applied to it; In entering a station, the pin should be placed farther forward. In slackening speed when going faster than is desired it should be placed still farther forward. When the brakes are to be released it is only necessary for the engineer or person in charge to placey his foot upon a lever u, to

`which the pawl Z, is attached and press down slightly to throw out the pawl from the ratchet and liberate the chain barrel when the chain will run off slack by reason 0f its own weight. It may be well to observe that thechain C', instead of being a part of the brake chain may be `separate therefrom, and in that case the brake chain may be connected at its extremity to the barrel.

The slider M, is represented as being furnished with a handle u, for the purpose of drawing it back after the brakes have been liberated, but it may be furnished with a spring by which it may be always held back when the chain is slack.

As it is necessary that the lever E, should A always be moved precisely to the required position for the catch k, to seize it. I have furnished the link which connects it with the upper lever arm of the rock shaft F, from which it derives its movement with a screw and a swivel nut u, by which its length can be regulated with great precision.

In order to make the brake operative both in running forward and backward there should be two ratchet wheels on the chain barrel having their teeth set in opposite directions, and their two pawls should be so arranged that either can be readily thrown in and the other out of gear at the same time.

The car coupling which I employ consists of a link N, of the usual kind but I attach to the under side of this link by a pivot v, at the center a strong iron ybar O, somewhat longer than the coupling. Each end of this bar carries a pulley w, and under each car as close as possible to the coupling I attach another pulley The brake chain in passi l i140 crovvding together.

y `ing from onecar to` another `passes over.- `the pulleys w, and under` the pulleys 'uq/w,

as shown in Fig. l, andwby that means vvheny there is any `tension on "the brakechain it `is tending to force the "cars apart-,and Will prevent the f possibilityI of injury by their I amavvare that various arrangements of self acting brake haveybeen proposed, in Which the power obtained from the locomotive axle, by means of anengagingand disengaging mechanism jhas `been applied throughout a train bythe" use of achain i a p s or is equivalent.`

Such` a brake `theregiore I do not claim; but f f HVVhat I do claim as my invention and de` sire to secure by LettersrPatent, is`

. The combination and arrangement of the sliding plate M, having a series of holes` graduated for limiting its playby an adjustable pin, thesupplementary chain C', Wound `upon the chain barrel vl) Which receives the chain for "actuating the/brakes, the lever E for bringing the said barrel into and out of action, the spring catch K for holding the said lever in engagement, until tripped by the pin of vthe aforesaid sliding plate M,

When the lever E is released, and the power is maintained Without any further increase; the Whole constituting an automatic disenygaging apparatus capable of being gradu- I. W. CooMBs, l J. G. MASON. 

